The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-01-06

the old inclinations pounce upon him like q
pack of hounds with their muzzles tearing
away at the TANKS of one poor reindeer.
| In Paris there is sculptured represen-
tation Of Bacchus the god of revelry. He
is riding on panther at full leap. Oh,
how suggestive! Let every one who is
speeding on bad ways understand he is not
| riding docile and well-broken steed, but
he is riding monster, wild and blood
| thirsty, going at a death leap How many
| there are who resolve on a better life and
say: "When shall awakes" but seized on
| by their old habits cry: 81 will try it once
| more; l will seek it yet againin Years
| ago there were some Princeton students
| who were skating, and the ice was very
| thin, and some one warned the company
back from the air-hole; and finally warned
them entirely to leave the place. But one
| young man with bravado, after all the rest
had stopped, cried out: zone round morel"
He swept around, and went down, and was
brought out corpse. My friends, there
| are thousands and ten Of thousands of men
losing their souls in that way It is the
one round more.
have also to say that if man wants to
return from evil practices society repulses
him. Desiring to reform, he says: 'Now,
l will shake off my old associates, and
| will find Christian companionship" And
| he appears at the church door some Sab
| bath day, and the usher greets him with a
look, as much as to say: "Why, you
here? You are the last man ever expect
ed to see at church, Come, take this seat
right down by the doors" instead of say
ing: GOOD morning! am glad you are
! here. Come, will give you first-rate
seat, right by the pulpit" Well, the prod
| igal, not yet discouraged, enters prayer
meeting, and some Christian man, with
| more zeal than common sense, says: ''Glad
| to see you. The dying thief was saved, and
l suppose there is mercy for you" The
young man, Disguised, chilled, throws him.
self back on his dignity, resolves he new err
will enter the house of God again. Per-
| haps not quite fully disguised about refor-
nation, he sides up by some highly respect
| able man he used to know, going down the
street, and Immediately the respectable
| man has an errand down some other street.
Well, the prodigal, wishing to return, takes
some member of a Christian Association by
| the hand, or tries to. The Christian young
man looks at him, looks at the faded apparel
andsthe marks of dissipation, and instead of
giving him a warm grip Of the hand offers
| him the tip end Of the long fingers of the left
| hand, which is equal to striking a man in
| the face.
Oh, how few Christian people under
stand how much force and gospel there is
| in good honest hand-shakingl Some
| times, when you have felt the need of en-
| couragement, and some Christian man has
taken you heartily by the hand, have you
| not felt thrilling through every fiber
of your body, mind and soul an encourage
ment that was just what you needed! You
| do not know any thing at all about this I'M
| less you know when man tries to return
| from evil courses of conduct he runs
| against repulsions innumerable. We say
of some man, he lives a block or two from
the church, or half a mile from the church.
There are people in our crowded cities who
| live one thousand miles from church. Vast
| deserts Of Indifference between them and
the house of God. The fact is, we must
keep our responsibility, though thousands
and tens of thousands perish. Christ sat
with publicans and sinners. But if
| there come to the house of God a
| man with marks of dissipation upon
him, people throw up their hands in horror,
as much as to say: isn't it shockingan
| How these dainty, fastidious Christians in
all our churches are going to get to Heaven
do not know, unless they have an especial
| train of cars, cushioned and upholstered,
each one car to himself! They can not go
| with the great herd of publicans and sim
| ners. o ye, who cur2 your lip with scorn at
| the fallen, tell you plainly, if you had
| been surrounded by the same influences,
| instead Of sitting to-day amid the cultured
and refined and the Christian, you would
| have been crouching wretch in stable or
! ditch, covered with filth and abomination!
| 1t is not because you are naturally any
better, but because the mercy of God has
| protected you. Who are you that, brought
| up in Christian circles, and watched by
| Christian parentage, you should be so hard
on the fallens
| think men also are often hindered from
return by the fact that churches are too
anxious about their membership and too
anxious about their denomination, and
they rush out when they see man about
to give up his sin and return to God and ask
him how he is going to be baptized, whether
by sprinkling or by immersion, and what
kind OF church he is going to join. Of my
friends! it is poor time to talk about
Presbyterian catechisms, and Episcopal
liturgies, and Methodist love-feasts, and
Baptistries, to a man that is coming out of
the darkness of sin into the glorious light
OF the Gospel Why, it reminds me of man
drowning in the sea, and life-boat puts
out for him and the man in the boat says to
the man out of the boats snow, If / get
you ashore, are you going to live in my
streets" First get him ashore, and then
] talk about the non-essentials of religion.
Who cares what church he joins, if he only
| joins Christ and starts for Heaven? o, YOU
ought to have, my brotherl an illumined
face and hearty grip for every one that
tries to turn from his evil way. Take hold
of the same book with him, though his dis
sipations shake the book, remembering
that he that converteth a sinner from the
error OF his way shall save a soul from
death and hide multitude of SINS
| Now, I have shown you these obstacles
because want you to understand l know
all the difficulties in the way; but am now
to tell you how Hannibal may scale the
Alps, and how the shackles may be unriv-
eted, and how the paths of virtue forsaken
may be regained.
| First of all, my brother, throw yourself
on God. Go to Him frankly and earnestly,
and tell Him those habits you have, and ask
Him If there is any help in all the resources
| OF Omnipotent love- to give it to Won. Do